DECEMBER 26 — Christmas is a day Christians celebrate and remember as the day God gave the world His son in the form of a baby.
Almost every mall has set up a nativity scene with Joseph, Mary and the baby in a manger with shepherds, wise men and animals.
However, as we surely realise, such commercial settings may erase the key motive of Christmas which is how Jesus “stooped to conquer” by being born in very humble circumstances, with no fanfare, nothing fancy and not even a proper room.
Even if we’re not religious, we can all still be reminded of the value of humility, a value perhaps we desperately need to recover and relearn in such a cold, dangerous and violent world.
The situation is rendered more urgent by the fact that humility is one of those gifts which are generally unwanted. Our society prefers narcissism, success, achievement; humility simply won’t cut it in a highly competitive place like the corporate world, politics, social media, etc.
(It’s ironic that the most popular time people mention humility is on platforms like Linked-In where someone who’s won an award or a promotion publicly declares that he or she is “humbled” by his/her amazing achievement i.e. humility is only raised in a context when it’s hardly present!).
How much injustice and trouble have occurred, not only in Malaysia but around the globe, because various parties remain proud, arrogant, power-hungry, uncaring and obsessed with their own egoistic demands?
How many millions of people go through unnecessary hardship in offices every day because the leaders can’t do something as simple as admit they are wrong about certain matters or are too cocky to take seriously the input of junior staff?
How many families suffer needlessly because one or two members maintain a superiority complex which sometimes leads to abuse and even violence?
I suspect humility is given second-class treatment because many are afraid.
People who’ve lived their whole lives within a framework of “success and competition” could be fearful of actually quietening their ego, admitting they don’t have all the answers, taking a pause from “striving” and competition or just taking a back seat from conversations and decisions instead of constantly dominating other people.
Maybe humility is difficult because fear rules our hearts most of the time. We’re scared of losing control, of losing out, of losing ground to our rivals, to the economy, to all those obligations and success criteria thrown to us by society, family, etc.
Into such circumstances, perhaps the spirit and message of Christmas can be a breath of fresh air.
The day reminds us that, hey, if God himself is cool with enduring hardships out of love, that could be a model for us.
We can unclench our fists, pause the maniacal go-getting, quit seeing rivals and contests everywhere and instead be thankful for even the simplest of things (not unlike how Joseph and Mary were fine with a manger birth as long as their baby boy could come into the world).
The ones we love are more important than the things we want. Truly humble people recognise this more deeply than others.
Relationships and authentic conversations take precedence over titles, ranks and tasks. Showing we care trumps showing off.
“Losing face” is no longer a big deal because with humility comes wisdom; and the truly wise understand that egotistical facades are as shallow as shadows and hardly worth getting upset over.
Finally, genuinely humble folks (at least those I know personally) somehow live as if they’re walking to a different drumbeat. The trappings of power and wealth don’t appeal all that much to them; they seem to be free-er than people who can’t help but strive for more, more, more!
Maybe humble folks are the truly wealthy among us?
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
